TAINTED. GRUVIA

05*

日光 from the ashes she rose;

Juvia 水

I had to be pulled away from where I was standing. I must have been staring at Gajeel's corpse for far too long. Both sides of me were at war at each other. How could I kill Gajeel? He was my only friend before Fairy Tail. But then again, I'm not part of Fairy Tail now. I belong to Pandora.

"Well done, Juvia," Indira says. "As expected, of course.

I kept my mouth shut. What was there to say? I simply nodded and bit my lip.

We all filed back into the meeting room. There was less tension and it felt more relaxed, yet, I was restless.

"Now," Indira sighed, sitting at the front of the table, "what was it you wanted to tell us?"

I hesitated. Would this decision I make affect me in the long run? Is this the right choice?

Alexe raised a brow, suspicious. Urania rolled her eyes, cupping her face with her hands as if expecting me to ask for something childish. Her eyes glinted with a sort of evil look. Figures, huh? I'm in a dark guild; of course she looks evil. But something about her look was odd. Murderous. She looked like she wanted me dead.

My voice was caught in my throat. I let out a few stutters before my voice died off and I was just staring at them all with my eyes wide and my mouth agape. Surely I wasn't shy. I was very comfortable with whatever I had to do. This was different—I was afraid that I'd be killed if they didn't like my idea. Yes, it was a long shot. But I thought it was good.

"J-Juvia t-thinks..."

I stopped talking and closed my eyes. My voice was barely audible but judging by how they were frowning, they probably thought I was that Juvia again. There I was again, back to old ways. No. No. I am a new person now. I'm not that Juvia anymore.

Adrenaline pulsed through me. My fingers tingled and my feet were restless. My legs were a compass; they wanted to take me somewhere.

And so I let them.

Before I knew it, I was running. Faster than I thought I was. My legs guided me and my mind was a mess. I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing. Tears welled up in my eyes and my throat was feeling stuffy and almost like I was choking.

I blinked back the tears and heard yelling in the background. "Come back! Juvia!" Things like that.

Something was wrong. I knew it ever since I entered this guild. The fresh air was a relief. I was outside—freedom. I tripped over my feet and fell to the ground, not planning on getting back up. I was done.

And so, I began to sob.

I cried for myself. I cried for Gray. I cried for my past.

I heard footsteps behind me and I flailed around, trying to grab onto something. Somehow I managed to get to my feet and I sprinted to the forest.

They seemed to retreat, knowing I'd come back. They all hated me—I knew that—and I didn't care much because I knew I'd be hated.

The dark blades of grass seemed to calm me down. The area was shadowed by towering trees and the ebony wings of crows beat through the air.

It seemed like hours. I sat, thinking. Who was I? What did I want?

When I got back up. I was a new Juvia. No, I wasn't Juvia anymore. That name was foreign to me now. I'd have a new name—one that would suit me. From now on, Juvia is just a memory.